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Voluntary Action for Development (VAD), in partnership with Friends of Uganda-Germany, has supported 45 girls in acquiring valuable tailoring skills. These girls have been trained in sewing clothes, making menstrual pads, and producing liquid soap—practical skills that empower them economically and socially.

Notably, five girls have already sewn their own school uniforms (blue skirts and cream T-shirts), which they proudly wear. They have also secured contracts from various schools to sew uniforms, significantly improving their livelihoods and providing sustainable income opportunities.

This initiative not only promotes education but also fosters lifelong skills that enable girls to build independent and resilient futures.

This well was constructed with funding from Just a Drop – UK and now benefits a total of 920 people from the surrounding communities.

Key Benefits:

• Improved Personal Hygiene: Access to clean water has enhanced daily hygiene practices for community members.
• Reduced Burden on Women and Girls: With safe water nearby, women and girls spend less time searching for water and can now focus on more productive activities.
• Lower Incidence of Waterborne Diseases: The risk of illnesses related to poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water has significantly decreased.
• Better School Attendance: Children can now get to school earlier, as they no longer have to travel long distances to fetch water before classes.
• Convenient Water Access: Community members now travel less than 1 kilometer and spend under 30 minutes to collect clean water, compared to much longer distances previously.

This well has transformed the health, education, and daily lives of the Anyangareng community, supporting sustainable development and wellbeing.

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54 Years Cattle Trader/ Farmer

I have benefited from increasing income and food security for the 250 vulnerable households in Okoboi parish, in Teso north east Uganda, specifically benefitting through the trainings on agronomic and post-harvest handling practices that the VAD staff had trained on from time of inception of the project

He is able to at least make rightful decisions on what to cultivate that brings about more income to the family, on the side of feeding he is able to even have evening tea which he attributes to greater change and the home is flooded with Karamojong casual labourers. He is even planning to save more in the group so as he starts constructing on his plot at the trading centre of “freedom” in Okoboi parish.

Four (4) farmers groups of 25 members each which totals to 100 farmers received each group with Ugx 2,500,000 hence Ugx 10,000,000 was provided. The aim of loan provision to farmers is to support and facilitate their start up capital in order to boost their existing businesses as well strengthen their capacity while sustaining the intended project. This time round the approach used was really good in that the farmers with the WATSAN structures (JAD funding) were mobilized and converged at the Sub County headquarters of which all beneficiaries turned up. For example; 100 farmers and 60 WATSAN members of three water user committee (received Ugx 12,000,000). The Sub County officials (Sub County Councilor, Agricultural Officer, Sub County Chief, Community Development Officer and local council 1 Chairperson) were mobilized as well to witness the hand over of the loans. VAD officials and staff were also present. The loans were handed over by the Sub County Chief. This grant was supported by Signpost International-UK and Just A Drop-UK VAD’s longest partners

Voluntary Action for Development has successfully constructed a vocational centre at Kapelebyong District in the North Eastern Uganda. The vocational centre has been equipped with a total of 14 sewing machines including ordinary machines, over-lock machine and sweater making machine. A total of 30 young girls have been enrolled and they are being taught by 2 teachers. VAD provided all the materials to be used while learning. We are happy to say that, the vocational centre is doing very well, young girls have learnt various skills in tailoring and how to make liquid soap making. One of the interviewed girl called Proscovia confirmed that she can now sew small shirts, re-usable sanitary pads, skirts and she said in the near future she is planning to start her small tailoring services. Thank you VAD, thank you Friends of Uganda-Germany and thank you Schock Foundation for the tremendous support which is first of the kind in our region. Compiled by Lilian Nakijoba Programmes Manager VAD

VAD with support from Signpost International-UK has provided 14 Community Agricultural Trainers (CATs) with 14 bicycles, gumboots which items are going to easen the trained CATs while conducting farmer to farmer follow ups. The project being implemented is, “Increasing Household Livelihood Security for Women and Youth in Teso, North East Uganda’ and 250 farmers have directly benefited from these interventions. All the 10 farmers group @25 members in (Aturai and Akulunyo in Kapelebyong District North Eastern Uganda) have been provided with revolving loans (Ugx 24,000,000) and they have injected in their small businesses and farmers’ incomes have increased. The targeted farmers now eat at least 2 or 3 meals a day with well balanced diet which situation was not there before. They Farmers have applied best agronomic practices on their gardens and are planting in row and are yielding good crops.

VAD was awarded a grant (2022) from Schock Foundation through Friends of Uganda-Germany (one of VAD’s longest partner).The award is aimed at Improving the livelihoods of the young dropout girls of 16-25 years to train them acquire knowledge and skills in tailoring and sewing of school children uniforms, sweaters and sanitary pads which support them earn a better sustainable income in order to care and nourish their children and their family at large. The project has already commenced (April 2022) with construction of training Centre which will accommodate a total of 15 young girls to be trained in vocational skills for a period of one year and more 15 girls will be enrolled. Later, the project will be handed over to the District and Town Council of Kapelebyong in the North Eastern region for sustainability. VAD already launched this project with Kapelebyong District officials and Town Council who welcomed the project with great happiness and the Town Council Clerk remarked that; the government has not yet implemented any vocational training Centre in Kapelebyong town council. The training Centre is going to be well equipped with 15 sewing machines, with New tailoring materials and 2 well qualified teachers. Currently, construction of the Centre is on-going and months to come, VAD will be happy to share with you completed photos and when the young girls are being trained.

Fact findings; Kapelebyong District is one of Districts of Teso sub region which has suffered so much with the Joseph Kony civil war that ran from 2003-2010 which left the area so impoverished coupled with the cattle rustling from Karamoja, this has further made Kapelebyong the poorest District in the whole region. As a result of this poverty many children never went to school to acquire education and many families became poorer with men not having paid jobs to enable them look after families. Because of this poverty many children especially the girl child have resorted to getting petty jobs outside Kapelebyong District; and also these girls have turned into house maids and house wives at a tender age.

In Kapelebyong District, young mothers (16 to 25 years) and their children are at a high risk group both physically and emotionally. Poverty, malnutrition, complicated pregnancies; emotional problems such as depression, drug and alcohol use are all risks to the mothers.  Most of the young mothers are in polygamous marriages where the husbands have more than one wife. The men rarely take care of the families leaving the young mothers to look for means of survival for their children. Therefore it is very vital to support these young mothers to get vocational skills which will keep them busy and help them earn income for their families and take care of their children.